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Mark Meltzer
__TOC__ Mark G. Meltzer is the man behind the ongoing investigation in There's Something in the Sea. He embarks on a journey in search of his kidnapped daughter, Cindy Meltzer, which eventually leads him to the city of Rapture. He was born in 1922, making him 46 years old at the time of events that occur. As a result of the kidnappings, Mark is forced to abandon his life and search tirelessly for the underwater utopia. Mark is left with no choice but to follow a dangerous trail of clues and riddles that will serve as the only possible entryway into Rapture. Phase One Initially, Mark's investigation began when he noticed the recurring kidnappings of children along coastlines in Europe. At the time of these kidnappings, Mark was living with his wife Amanda, and his daughter Cindy in Fairview, New York. Vowing to discover who was behind these kidnappings, Mark began gathering information and enlisted contacts to aid him. During the first days of his research, Mark was introduced to Jeremiah Lynch, an eccentric Irish author who had taken some mysterious photos of items that he found while combing a beach. Upon Mark contacting Lynch for further information, Lynch revealed to that he had taken photos of a mysterious doll and footprints. He believed that these two things were related to the kidnapper of the girls. Mark was quick to dismiss Lynch's theories and instantly thought of him as a nut. Tracking the Kidnapper About a month later, Mark gained some more concrete evidence of what he was truly dealing with. He had gathered some news reports on specific kidnappings along coastlines in Europe and began to piece the information together. He realized that the victims were all young girls with similar physical characteristics, and that every kidnapping was reported shortly after sightings of a strange red light appearing in the water. Mark was also quick to see that the reports and press releases were daft and foolish - Mark seemed to be one of the few who actually noticed the patterns taking place. Whilst keeping up with the kidnapper, gathering more and more news reports of kidnappings (now increasing at an alarming rate), Mark remained alone for some time. Attempting to gain aid, whether it be from reporters or the police, yielded no results. Some that he reached out to went as far as suggesting that Mark seek professional help. The kidnapper continued to grow bolder as it switched from the European coastline to American shores, soon making as many as three kidnappings in one week. Continuing his research, Mark decided to contact the House of Representatives. While they, too, dismissed his theories, they directed him to the Air Force as well as ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence). Through ONI, Mark was contacted by Roscoe Inman. He assured Mark that he was no longer alone, and promised to provide as much aid as he could. Inman provided Mark with classified files from the Navy, and this, combined with all of his previous research, finally allowed Mark to make real progress. He contacted Inman, believing that he had anticipated the movement pattern of the kidnapper. In the conclusion of the first phase, Mark drove out to a beach in St. John, New Brunswick Canada where he predicted the kidnapper would strike again. After staking out the location for three long nights, he managed to snap two photos of the kidnapper. The cause of all of the abductions turned out to be the Big Sister, whom Mark referred to as "The Traveler." With his evidence in hand, Mark frantically escaped, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the kidnapper had followed him. Mark continued to pay close attention to the kidnappings and noted that the sightings were moving back down the coast. He had figured out the Traveler's patterns, and determined that the next place she would strike was very near to where his wife Amanda’s parents lived in Montauk, Rhode Island New York. His natural curiosity drove him to take Amanda and Cindy to this house, where Mark spent their vacation staked out to get a photo of the "Traveler." His goal was to gain evidence that the “brass couldn’t deny.” Cindy's Kidnapping He spent two nights staked out in the sand but was unsuccessful at getting a picture. Unfortunately, he attracted the Big Sister's attention enough that she followed him back to the house. The second night, Mark returned home to find that his daughter had been kidnapped. An investigation into the disappearance of his daughter was mounted, but Mark was held under general suspicion due to his association with members of fringe groups such as Phil Isidore of N.U.F.O.S. Mark was in a state of depression and felt guilty for the kidnapping of his daughter. In a letter to Roscoe Inman, Mark confessed that he had "put her in harm's way," and he asked Inman to continue the investigation without him. By this time Mark had already gained a reputation (wrongly) for being “obsessed with UFO sightings” and was admitted to Tollevue Mental Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Upon his release from Tollevue, Mark tried to capture the Big Sister near the Hudson River in New York, but ended up with three broken ribs and a broken leg. He was at the St. Ignatius General Hospital in New York, on April 25th, 1968. Soon after, Mark's wife, Amanda, divorced him for “recklessly endangering the safety and well being of his spouse and family.” It seems that there was trouble in their marriage beforehand, as Mark mentioned that his marriage "survived by sheer momentum… staying together because it’s the way its supposed to be.” Phase Two With Amanda out of his life (with the exception of divorce hearings), Mark moved to set up shop permanently at his Montuak vacation home. All that mattered to him now was finding all of the kidnapped girls, including his own daughter. With little to no leads, Mark reluctantly continued to contact anyone who would offer their help. This included Jeremiah Lynch, Phil Isidore, and later Roscoe Inman. Though Mark regarded Phil and Lynch as idiotic and foolish, he needed all the help he could get. Mark also became acquainted with Benny Stango, the investigator who was assigned to Cindy's case. The Lunchbox Puzzle Late in May of 1968 Mark’s house at Montauk was broken into and the Lunchbox Puzzle was left behind. Neighbors reported seeing a red light on the night of the break in. Once Mark opened the puzzle he discovered many strange objects inside, including a cut out of Little Sisters holding hands, a drawing of a Little Sister with the Big Sister (probably draining ADAM from a female Splicer), and a letter coded in cypher that might be from Mark's daughter. The message reads: "It's cold down here daddy come find me." Possibly the strangest object of all was a splicer mask, which looked very similar to a concept of a mask splicers will be wearing in BioShock 2. Mark was able to make no sense of it; and he hoped the items were just a hoax. The Rapture Record Further information from his contacts provided Mark with a new lead: The Vanishing- a wave of disappearances in the 1940s that Mark believed to be connected with the kidnappings of the girls. Pursuing this lead, Mark gathered many news clippings and theories regarding The Vanishing. It was also around this time that Mark came into contact with the reluctant and paranoid French heiress, Celeste Roget. Midway through his research on the Vanishing at the beginning of July Mark received another mysterious item, possibly from the Big Sister. A Rapture record was left in his office featuring a song created by Sander Cohen titled "Rise, Rapture, Rise" (also heard in BioShock). The ending of the song, however, was replaced with the eerie words of a Little Sister. Mark recognized the voice to be that of his daughter. (It should be known that Little Sisters have never before called Big Daddies by their actual code name; only ever by Mr. B/ Bubbles. So this very well could be Cindy.) "Daddy? Where are you daddy? Are you going to come and find me?" Mark refused to give up on Cindy and blamed himself for her kidnapping. The discovery of this record confirmed his suspicions that the Big Sister has indeed been following him; and it fueled his obsession more than ever. Mark began to search for any information about "Rapture," the location in which he assumed the record had been made. Researching Lutwidge Finally Mark discovered something significant in his research on the Vanishing; an article about Orrin Oscar Lutwidge. Lutwidge had vanished in 1959 after vowing to find "true Rapture." This caused Mark to wonder if Lutwidge had left to find the same "Rapture" where the anthem record was made. Mark's research led him to find Lutwidge's burnt down workplace on Lower Broadway. There he discovered a recording from Lutwidge hidden in the wreckage. This recording, the first of Lutwidge's many obscure riddles and clues, gave Mark the information needed to advance. After avoiding Stango (who saw Mark as the prime suspect in his daughter's kidnapping), Mark returned to the burnt out building and discovered the Metal Box Puzzle, which Lutwidge referred to as "the three fold key with the sevenfold lock." Mark worked furiously to solve the puzzle box and gain the next clue, but several of his contacts, Celeste and Lynch, attempted to warn him of Lutwidge's trickery, saying that anything from him could not be trusted. Mark ignored these warnings however, and opened the first level of the puzzle in mid July. Following clues from Lutwidge's recording in the puzzle, Mark discovered an abandoned warehouse along the Hudson River that served as the headquarters for Lutwidge's old business: Scarlet Sovereign Imports and Exports. Inside the Scarlet Sovereign warehouse, Mark came across the next pieces of the puzzle: a new recording, a mysterious Jewelry Box Puzzle, and a strange blank chart, illustrating nothing but a red Triangle with 10 lines protruding from it. In the warehouse Mark also found documents that hinted at a business deal between Lutwidge and Andrew Ryan. August 8th Solving and opening the Jewelry Box revealed something strange indeed: ten sets of different coordinates and times. Mark deciphered where each set of coordinates led and realized that the endpoints of the lines on the blank chart, once it was filled in with a map of the world, matched these coordinates precisely. He deduced that something special would be happening at each of these locations on the given date, August 8th. Mark rallied his contacts, wanting to be sure that each location would be visited and checked out. When the 8th arrived, Mark himself traveled to Jones Beach, New York to finally discover what would be showing up on these beaches. He was in for a surprise - dozens of Arcadia Merlot bottles had washed up on Jones Beach, as well as on the other 9 beaches. Inside of the bottles were promotional ads for Plasmids and a poster welcoming the reader to the city of Rapture. The 8th of August provided a major breakthrough - it gave Mark the proof he needed to know that Rapture truly existed. After August 8th Mark was certain that he had taken a huge step forward in his quest; yet at the same time, he was unsure where to go next. This led to a brief spell of anger and exasperation, until Jeremiah Lynch provided Mark with a new realization. The Jewelry Box had to be used to open a new level to the Metal Box by playing a specific song. After some days of painstaking research to make sense of the riddles within the puzzle's second level, Mark solved this next level only to be another impassable layer. While Mark was stumped by the Metal Box he delved into other possible leads, discovering more of Lutwidge's history. By rifling through the old Scarlet Sovereign files, Mark dug up some more letters that explained more about Lutwidge's conflict with Andrew Ryan. At the same time, Phil Isidore was attending a UFO convention in California and recorded an interview with Lex Harlan, the head editor of Visionary Wonder Stories. Phil sent Mark some of the interview tapes, which concerned the author of a particular story that bore many similarities to Rapture: R. Killian Quain. Finding R. Killian Quain Mark assumed that these interview tapes were more rubbish and ignored them. However, a call from Celeste Roget on August 24th revealed to Mark that Lutwidge was still alive. This startling truth finally led Mark to the connection that R. Killian Quain was another alias of Orrin Oscar Lutwidge. Upon contacting Lex Harlan, it was revealed that Lutwidge was currently being held in Tollevue Mental Hospital, the same place where Mark had been kept after the kidnapping of his daughter. On September 4th Mark used Detective Benny Stango's growing hostility as a useful tool, feigning a mental breakdown in order to be admitted to Tollevue again so he could see R. Killain Quain (Lutwidge). When Mark met Lutwidge himself, he was gifted with the Rubix Tube Puzzle and some classified files of the Hospital. The most pertinent item of all was the Journal of Lutwidge; his mad writings scribed after his return from Rapture itself. Discovering the Red Pawn After the Tollevue escapade, Celeste Roget put Mark into contact with the detectives she had hired to find Lutwidge ten years prior, Auger Detection. Through this organization, agent Dash H. Carmady began collaborating with Mark. He was instrumental in finding Lutwidge's secret basement lab, in which Lutwidge had housed many secrets of Rapture not yet found. On September 31st Mark visited Lutwidge's abandoned building himself. There he came across Lutwidge's souvenirs from Rapture, as well as the original, unedited manuscript of "Utropolis". At this time both Celeste and Mark received strange threatening letters from an anonymous person, warning them to stop their quest. Investigation by Auger Detection revealed that the letters were from one of Lutwidge's previous contacts, the "Red Pawn," who was none other than Jeremiah Lynch. In early October Mark began to doubt himself, and the reality of everything that he had uncovered in his quest for his missing daughter. After discovering the lies of the Lynch, he wondered if all the evidence he had found had been simply planted to mislead him. At the same time Mark was under pressure from his dwindling finances, as his quest for his daughter during the previous year had drained most of his savings. This situation was worsened in mid October when Amanda's divorce attorney, Charles Molley, froze the assets in Mark and Amanda's joint bank account. Anniversary of the Kidnapping Mark's depression reached its peak on October 21st, the one year anniversary of the kidnapping of his daughter, Cindy. Mark stayed out all day at the beach near his Montauk home and was restlessly awake all night, thinking he heard strange noises outside. The next morning he discovered a Rapturesque sand castle on the beach and a cypher message scrolled in the sand which seems to have been left by Cindy during the night. Benny Stango called later to say that he had been staking out Mark's house when he encountered a Big Sister, and as a result he is officially closing the case on the kidnapping. This revelation that all of his previous quest had not been a lie raised Mark's spirits considerably. Mark returned to Lutwidge's basement lab in New York to try to gain more clues, but he was stymied by a government investigation that was blocking the place. However, Dash Carmady gave Mark the final clues that he needed to continue; pictures of a chessboard-like arrangement of tiles from Lutwidge's lab in 1958. These were the key to opening the next level of the puzzle box. Once Mark had finally cracked it, he realized that New York held nothing more for him to find, and that Lutwidge's trail of clues pointed to the sea. On November 4th, with his money troubles and impending divorce hearing with Amanda looming, Mark set out for Baltimore, Maryland to meet up with Phil Isidore's maritime contacts and contract a ship that would take him overseas. Phase Three In Baltimore Mark first met up with Captain Casey Ferrence, an eccentric ship captain who agreed to take Mark on his trek to find Rapture. Mark used the last of his accessible funds and paid for a cabin aboard Ferrence's ship, the S.S. Nellie Bly, stowing all of his most important possessions there for a long treck across the Atlantic. Journey Through the Caribean However, Mark still needed to continue on Lutwidge's trail of clues in order to learn the actual location of Rapture, as well as to bypass its possible defense system. The Nellie Bly was slated to make stops in ports around the world to drop off cargo. Mark could not interfere with this at all; he was along for the ride, like it or not. During the ship's different stops, Mark became increasingly uneasy with its crew and seemingly unstable captain. Loud arguments and threats amongst the crew members became a common occurrence. Mark's choice of transport proved to be less than ideal. He eventually discovered that the source of the crew's uneasiness was some unusual cargo that Ferrence had picked up at Nassau in the Caribbean: cheap plastic Buddha Statues that were simply painted gold. Ferrence was concerned about this cargo to the point that he steered the Nellie Bly into the path of a tropical storm to avoid it being detected by millitia in Puerto Plata. In the mean time Mark made more progress with the levels of the Metal Box, and solved a series of riddles using information from the book, "The Frozen Triangle." Mark began reading through more papers from Lutwidge's lab, and learned that Lutwidge had formed an organization of "Pawns" working in the search for Rapture. "The International Order of the Pawns (I.O.O.P.)" had many members that were involved in the search for Rapture, on of which had been the rogue "Red Pawn," Jeremiah Lynch. Meeting the Pawns Mark discovered from another interview tape with Lex Harlan that one member of the I.O.O.P. was Lee Wilson Seward, an American author who was currently living in Tangeirs, Morroco. Mark decided to visit Seward while the Nellie Bly was stopped in port there, hoping that Seward's contact with the Pawns couild give more information about Lutwidge's secrets. Mark met with Seward on December 6th, and gained valuable information as well an introduction to all other pawns in the organization. He was also warned that Lynch was far more dangerous than he appeared, and that if Mark wanted to find Rapture he would have to beware Lynch's interference. Upon leaving Tangiers, Mark received a new radio message that was sent out to the Pawns. The message indicated the pieces were moving on a chessboard, once again warning that Lynch was MIA and untrackable. Mark then left Tangiers with the Nellie Bly and traveled onward to Europe, stopping in Cadiz, Spain on the 10th of December. In Cadiz Mark was contacted by the woman who made the broadcast, the Yellow Pawn. She gave him a folder with information on more of the Vanished, which Mark used to track more of the people who went to Rapture. When Mark asked for assistance from the Pawns, he was told simply "your agenda is not our own." The meeting, sadly, left more questions for Mark than it answered, especially considering the Pawns now knew of his troubles and his goal. The drama amongst crew members began to escalate to an all time high as the Nellie Bly docked in Le Havre, France on December 14th. Ferrence and the First Mate began an intense argument over whether the strange cargo should be dumped. This ended with the Captain giving the Mate an ultimatum: be gone from the ship by dark, or stay and never question his orders again. With the crew now beginning to choose sides, Mark and the 2nd Mate headed off of the boat in hopes that things would cool off. Upon returning, they discovered that half of the crew had walked. Arriving back at his cabin, Mark decided to figure out what was so special about Ferrence's cheap Buddha statues; by breaking one of them open, he discovered a concealed firearm. Ferrence was smuggling rebels weapons overseas. Finding Celeste With half of the Bly's crew gone, and the 2nd Mate too drunk to think about replenishing it, Mark was trapped in France for some time. He decided to contact his old acquaintance, Dash H. Carmady, and offer assistance in tracking down Celeste Roget, who was still missing after the harassment from the Red Pawn. Around the same time, another friend of Mark's, Ulrich Broder, made a news report on Celeste and how she was allegedly killed in an accidental explosion. This report turned out to be misinformed, as Celeste wrote Mark a note, saying that he may be the only one she could trust. She arranged to meet with him at a hotel. Upon traveling there on December 17th, however, Mark found a note from Jeremiah Lynch insinuating that he had kidnapped Celeste and demanded a meeting. Determined to save Celeste, Mark arranged to meet with Lynch. However, before this Mark tracked down Ulrich, who he knew was in the area thanks to his radio broadcast. Arriving at the meeting place, Mark asked what Lynch wanted in exchange for Celeste's safe return. Lynch simply requested that he and Mark solve the puzzle box together, and revealed that he that his interest in Rapture was purely out of greed for the millions he expected it to be worth. Reluctantly, Mark complied, and revealed the latest clue from the Metal Box. Lynch attempted to get Mark to come with him to his hotel to arrange an agreement, but upon Mark's refusal, Lynch attempted to force him into his car. Mark pulled out a gun he had taken from Ferrence's cargo, and a struggle ensued as they fought for the weapon. Luckily, Ulrich had stayed behind to be sure that Mark got out safely. He slammed his car into Lynch's, which in turn hit Lynch - it disorientated him long enough for Mark to jump into Ulrich's vehicle and get to safety. Upon returning to the Nellie Bly, shaken and perturbed, Mark found a reply telegram from Dash Carmady. It said that Celeste had contacted him and was safe. In addition, Mark received a radio message from Celeste herself that indicated she was okay. He wrote a swift note to Phil Isidore explaining everything that had happened and then set out for Switzerland, hoping to get into contact with Celeste. Unfortunately, Mark departure for Switzerland he had left his cabin on the Nellie Bly unguarded and vulnerable. Lynch had no trouble invading it with half of the crew was missing. He had plenty of time to read Mark's current research, and soon after he followed Mark to Switzerland. Though Mark had worked with Dash Carmady to lay a trail of false clues, hoping to lead Lynch astray, this was a futile act. In late December Lynch successfully caught up with Mark and Celeste, bringing the gun from Ferrence's cargo with him. He had no desire to harm Mark, but he wanted to force Mark to comply with him by threatening Celeste. He knew that the Puzzle Box's next clue lied within one of his books, and he gleefully asked Mark to share the answer. However, Mark refused to comply. He charged at Lynch, attempting to use Lynch's book as a shield. Lynch fired, but the bullet went through the pages of the book and hit Mark's shoulder. With his momentum, however, Mark crashed into Lynch, pinning him to the ground. Celeste, watching this happen, picked up the gun Lynch had dropped, and after hesitating fired at Lynch. With the shot ending their struggle, Mark tore after Celeste who had run off. With no trace to be found - of her or Lynch - Mark returned to the Nellie Bly. Following this drastic turn of events, Mark was informed by Lynch that after their encounter he had traveled to New York City. He planned to invade Tollevue Mental Hospital and torture the coordinates of Rapture out of Lutwidge. Celeste contacted Mark soon after, revealing that as a result of Lynch's threats she had been working with with him to lure Mark. She urged that Mark not feel guilt over the events, for it was she that had betrayed him. Completing the Puzzle Box Mark's voyage aboard the Nellie Bly continued after Ferrence recrewed his ship. Mark was contacted by Seward again, and was promised a meeting with another member of IOOP. A meeting between Mark (by then addressed by Pawns as "The White Knight") and the Glass Pawn was arranged in London when Mark arrived there on the 10th of January. To Mark's surprise, the Glass Pawn turned out to be Carleton Rede, the author of The Frozen Triangle. Once supplied with Rede's newest book, Mark was directed the next contact in Reykjavik, Iceland, the Ivory Pawn who had supplied Lutwidge with the ship he used to get to Rapture. Making haste to Reykjavik Mark sought to crack the Metal Box and finally learn more of what he would face. Carlton Rede's book, Back to the Frozen Triangle and information from The Ivory Pawn's both indicated the existence of some sort of "Phantom Lighthouse" within the Triangle. Mark, as with most occurrences throughout his quest, took the Lighthouse to be absolute nonsense fabricated by conspiracy theorists like Lynch. However, a recoded radio transmission from a ship that glimpsed the Lighthouse gave Mark the final clue he needed to reach the last layer of Lutwidge's puzzle box. Lutwidge's last offering of words included musings of a black tower, and a bright light. The puzzle box's sensor was activated, and gave Mark a blinking compass; presumably pointing the way to Rapture. There was still work to be done, though - getting to this Lighthouse would prove to be much more of a challenge than sailing in a straight line. Introduction to Rapture One night, The Lighthouse was spotted through a dense "impenetrable" mist. Knowing that the crew is plotting a mutiny against Captain Ferrence, and getting close to Rapture, Mark planned to escape the boat and get to the lighthouse using a dingy. Just before he could set off, he heard splashing outside the boat (Presumably Bathyspheres containing Splicers). His room was infiltrated by a Spider Splicer. Mark was able to escape from the Splicer attack, leaving the crew to fight back the Splicers. Undoubtedly, the crew failed, considering the boat is beginning to sink and the blood splatter and bullet holes throughout just Mark's cabin. Mark's Contacts Major contacts: *Celeste Roget (French heiress; Went into hiding, revealed to be alive. Mark searched for her near Switzerland, they parted ways once more, possibly for good) *Jeremiah Lynch (Conman, learned to be the Red Pawn and seeks "Lutwidge's Treasure" for his own benefits; Mark requires some of his knowledge, however) *Lieutenant Commander Roscoe Inman (Office of Naval Intelligence) *Phil Isidore (National UFO Society) Minor contacts: *Amanda Meltzer (Mark's estranged wife, sometimes offered help) *Benny Stango (Police detective in charge of the case of Cindy Meltzer's kidnapping. Saw Mark as the one responsible.) *Charles Molley (Amanda's attorney in the divorce) *Dash H. Carmady (Private investigator at Auger Detection; helps Mark track down vital information on Lutwidge and Celeste Roget) *Dr. Lyman (Mark's doctor from Tollevue Mental Hospital) *Lee Wilson Seward (Author and social critic; a special member of IOOP) *Lex Harlan (Seedy editor of Visionary Wonder Stories; came into contact with RØd Killian Quain) *Ulrich Broder (German reporter who's been investigating The Vanishing) Mark's Address Fans are able to send letters to Mark at the following address: :Mark G. Meltzer ' :'P.O Box 4668 #32890 :New York, N.Y 10163 Writings ''BioShock 2 Mark appears in ''BioShock 2 through audio diaries, and physically in the form of a Rumbler Big Daddy, which he apparantly chose to become when given the option after being captured by Sophia Lamb. It can be deduced that the Little Sister he is guarding is Cindy. His audio diaries stand out from regular diaries, most notably because his portrait is in color. Audio Diaries *Ryan Amusements **The Child And The Garden Trivia *When 2K Games first started the "Something in the Sea" viral marketing campaign they had not intended for Mark Meltzer to make an appearance in BioShock 2. However, the huge success and popularity of the campaign with fans prompted the developers to incorporate his character into the game."BioShock 2: Secret Messages, Packages and Telegrams" article by Yukari Iwatani Kane on the Digits Wall Street Journal Blog References fr: Category:Something In the Sea Characters